Q. After chemo treatment, I had two bouts with shingles. Knowing that this is a herpes virus, I treated myself with L-lysine as I often do for cold sores. The discomfort and rash disappeared in less than a week. My oncologist was very interested to hear this and has been successful using L-lysine for other patients with shingles.
A. Prescription antiviral drugs such as Valtrex or Famvir can be helpful against the shingles virus. Many people say that L-lysine works for cold sores. We have never heard that this amino acid might also work against shingles.
